


bet the odds against it all

by doubtthestars



Series: the words we cant pronounce [2]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dirty Talk, Fluff and Angst, Holidays, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:23:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5404604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtthestars/pseuds/doubtthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>follow up to 'the only time i would call you mine'</p><p>The journey to a happy ending takes work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bet the odds against it all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [misterywhitegirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/misterywhitegirl/gifts).



> The timeline is fudged a bit i think. so sorry, I've got massive amounts of info in my head and not enough space for it.
> 
> I was like "I'll finish this for Neven's birthday!" that didn't happen. So Mats' birthday was my deadline and got it out just in the nick of time.
> 
> *it's like almost a year after the first fic.
> 
> Edit #1: I forgot the dog. Let's say Jonas is taking care of him. Let's also say Jonas and the dog are on vacation.

"Is he always like this for the holidays?" Benni turns over the cover to get in bed. Life as both Neven and Mats' soulmate had been littered with pitfalls, from small to large. They had only just managed to get Neven to live with them, partly because they didn't want him to be alone and partly because they knew he needed the support after the minor disaster of telling their families. Mats' father and Neven's mother could start their own club with the surprising ire they displayed after the long wait. 

Mats' head hit his pillow with force as he let out a long sigh, "No. He usually looks forward to the holidays. It's practically whats kept him here for so long. The built in bit of vacation to visit his parents and sister...and I don't know. It's hard for him." Benni turned to face Mats, who could only see him peripherally and didn't move to keep it that way. 

"Is it me? I thought we were getting better, getting along more. He's my soulmate, of course I want to know him better, but I don't get the same feeling from him. He's sleeping in our guest room, Mats. I don't even feel comfortable kissing you in the same room as him. We were thrown into this as much as he was and we're coping with it." Mats shut his eyes, the incoming argument familiar. Benni blamed himself and prodded Mats for suggestions he couldn't give. Neven was stubborn, and poking at that stubbornness would get him to go at an even slower pace. Mats couldn't magically fix what was wrong by virtue of knowing him longer.

"Benni, _we_ decided to not make him uncomfortable, remember? He's sleeping in the guest room because he chose to sleep there. He doesn't think this is his house any more than you think his apartment is your house. It's difficult, okay? Neven didn't want to find a soulmate, out of spite. He wanted me, and it didn't turn out that way, but we still tried to make it work and, I don't know. I don't know what he wants anymore." Benni frowns, put out by the response. 

Mats reaches over and kisses him reassuringly. "We have time to figure it out."

*

After their tumultuous match day, all Neven wanted to do was hide. Being subbed on for the dying minutes of the game was no consolation prize. He was prickly and hungry but didn't feel like feeding himself which piled on more frustration until he decided he just had to do something, whether it was sleeping it off or making a sandwich. 

The door was opened by an unexpected face holding grocery bags. She looked a little startled to find him skulking around the kitchen like a lost boy. 

"Neven, hi, how are you?" Irritated would've been his first response but Neven wasn't angry at Lisa and didn't think he could ever take it out on the blonde. For as much as he liked to say his life took a complete turn when he found his soulmate, he could never say Lisa didn't add a bit of friendliness to it (and by extension, Cathy, a little madness.)

"I'm looking for the bread." It's a little brusque but Lisa keeps a smile on. 

"Oh, it's in the second drawer on the left there." She bumps it lightly with her hip while moving the bags to the counter to give him space to maneuver. Neven stared at the handle before opening it to find his prize. He was baffled at the placement and still slightly angry and the wheels in his head kept turning in multiple directions.

"How did you know it would be there? What are you doing here?" He blurted out, trying to voice everything going on in his thoughts at once. Lisa stopped pulling out fresh vegetables from their bags to look at him, scrutinizing his appearance. She hadn't been around much lately. Neven looked lost and like he was fighting a losing battle. Lisa had a feeling it wasn't just team-related, no matter what the headlines said.

"I know Benni. He's predictable. Uses the small drawers for utensils, keeps cups and plates separate. He likes organizing things the same way no matter where he is. Do you know how to cook? I know Mats doesn't cook unless pushed into it, and Benni is more of a stick it in the oven type. As for what I'm doing here. We were going to have dinner together. Benni said the fridge was pretty empty and I haven't tried out the kitchen yet so I figured I could prep some stuff until Cathy was done with work. I thought Mats would be here actually." 

Neven looked down at the pitiful sandwich he had made. He didn't know where Mats was. He expected him to be at the house before he got in but he had been alone for a couple of hours now. Benni was doing some PR thing, since it was marked clearly on the calendar next to the fridge. He hated not being in the loop. He hated being alone while his family was still on the fence on how to approach him. 

"I guess I can go out for dinner tonight." Lisa furrowed her eyebrows, looking confused.

"I have plenty of ingredients, and Manu can't come so we'll even probably have extra. I thought you were eating with us anyway. I know you're upset about your parents. There's nothing better than a home-cooked meal and friends to brighten your mood." She sing-sung it out, before playfully bumping him with a shoulder. 

"So, do you know how to cook or not. I could use a helping hand, as long as you're not busy." She offers, with an imploring face. Neven nods, he might as well occupy himself with other things.

"I can make simple dishes. I'm more of a baker. My mom was always making batches of cookies and desserts for potlucks and get-togethers and I helped her when I was younger." Lisa looks delighted and enthused by the confession. 

"Can you make brownies? I can never get them to the right consistency and Cathy thinks they're too much chocolate which is ridiculous because she loves dumping chocolate syrup on her ice cream and she takes forever with toppings for frozen yogurt. A brownie is where she draws the line. I can't believe her sometimes." Neven tries not to laugh at her indignant huff but it escapes his mouth anyway. He feels like he hasn't laughed in a while. Not since breaking the news to his parents. 

"I can. I'm really good at nutella brownies. They are my sister's favorite." Lisa clapped excitedly.

"That sounds delicious. You should definitely make those for dessert. Can you chop the onions? I'll wash these, and we'll be ready in no time."

They end up working together to make a vegetable soup that Lisa confesses is her grandmother's recipe and crusted chicken with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans(which Neven dislikes) or corn(which Lisa offered as a alternative.) 

Neven was mixing the batter for the brownies when he finally felt comfortable enough to ask the question still on his mind the whole time. "How do you deal with having a third person in your relationship?" Lisa stops swinging her feet against the stool she had brought in from another room. 

"It's a process. Cathy actually has more of a say when picking and it's never someone who is just in it for the shock value of the experience. Sometimes it doesn't work out, sometimes people fit it in really well with us. Lena for example is really great." 

Neven puts down the bowl, looks for a pan where they had found the baking sheets before. 

"Lena, Draxler's girlfriend?" Lisa carefully nibbles on an apple slice, watching Neven pour. It was an interesting picture, seeing the Dortmund defender in the kitchen. 

"Yes. We weren't just playing a game on Benni's birthday. Benni told me Julian seemed a lot more curious about us and Manu before so he invited him and I took over from there. They're not soulmates, if you were wondering. They chose to be together and they invited me to give them a chance to get a feel for it. Of course, Cathy became friends with Lena and well, we're seeing where it goes. Either way, they seem much more confident with themselves now." Lisa shrugged.

"And it doesn't bother you? Cathy is...exuberant, a lot to handle." Neven didn't like mincing words. If Lisa was an angel, Cathy was the manic pixie always on the move. It didn't surprise him that Cathy would be take Lena under her wing. 

Lisa smirked but kept her tone even as she answered, "Cathy does have a lot of energy, but I can usually get her to calm down. I don't really get jealous. I'm going into the arrangement with my eyes open. I love Cathy and she loves me, there's nothing that will change that. It's the foundation of our agreement. To be completely honest, sex isn't a priority for me. What matters to me is the feeling, the bond between everyone.

I love Benni, but having sex with him isn't an option anymore, that doesn't change how much I love him. I grew up with him and he's been there for me through so much that it really doesn't matter if I can or can not. I'll still want the meal with or without fries." It was a bit of an arbitrary analogy but Neven saw the value of it. 

"I thought, I haven't been dealing with this very well after breaking the news to my family. After Benedikt's birthday, we were on the right track. At least I thought so, but it hurt, to finally see these colors and finally get what everyone wanted for me and get rejected for it. My mother has never had a bad word to say about me, but she called me a liar. And I'm so angry." His voice broke into a whisper with the last word. Lisa put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Oh Neven, your anger is part of your hurt and keeping it quiet won't make it go away." She is smaller than him, but she makes him come down to her level to hug him, give him some comfort as he trembled with what he called rage and she called grief.

"Don't let them stand in the way of what happiness you can have for yourself. They'll see you change and they'll change their minds too." She soothed, brushing his hair back.

*

"These are like sex in my mouth," Cathy exclaimed and apologized all with one bite of the brownie. "Sorry, Honey." Lisa had split her brownie with Cathy to prove she would like it if she just tried it. Neven cleared his throat awkwardly. Between Cathy and Mats making very interesting noises with every bite and Benni looking at him like he was the second coming, Neven was strangely overwhelmed by the dinner party. 

Mats had been so happy to see him sitting at the dinner table that he hadn't stopped smiling since. Benni had pulled Lisa aside to ask her how she managed it to which she only laughed and told him it wasn't a miracle, just good timing. She turned the tables on Benni later by chastising him on not telling Neven about the dinner beforehand.

Neven was the only one not eating the brownies vociferously. It felt good to bake again for people that would appreciate the treats but his mind kept going back to Lisa's words. His family wouldn't take his claim seriously unless he changed his outlook on the situation between them. He _was_ hurt but telling someone had helped bridge the damage with action. His sister was coming to visit him in a few weeks. If he didn't figure it out his feelings by then...well, it wasn't fair to anyone for him to keep to himself like he had been. 

"Do you want ice cream?" Benni asks hesitantly next to him. He hadn't tried to talk to Neven much over dinner. 

"Sure," Neven didn't even know they had ice cream in the freezer. In fact, he was almost positive of the fact from early in the day. Benni grabbed his plate with a brownie in his hand and went back to the kitchen. Mats was engrossed with a story Cathy was telling while Lisa cut up her remaining brownie into tiny forkfuls to savor it. 

Benni came back with a bowl of ice cream and brownie pieces which caught Mats' attention more than the dog in the purse story. "Where did that ice cream come from? Why aren't we sharing?" Benni raised an eyebrow.

"Is that the royal we? Don't even try it. Neven hasn't had any brownies, Mr. I've eaten three in the span of twenty minutes." Neven opened his mouth to say it was okay, even though it was touching that Benni had taken the time to arrange the sundae for him. Mats looked at the bowl, looked at Neven and shrugged.

"Okay." Benni claps a hand on his shoulder and smiles, "There you go, enjoy." 

He takes a spoonful into his mouth and thinks it isn't so bad.

-

There's not a set plan on how to handle their relationship with Neven but Mats wasn't going to let invisible boundaries ruin his chances. He would needle at the protective barrier that had surrounded Neven since the news of his soulmate being Benni broke and gain small concessions. Mats and Neven had operated under clandestine for so long that they had to go back to basics and find their footing again. He still felt guilty about carrying on in spite of having Benni and he knew Benni had forgiven him but it was still something in the back of his mind.

The problem with all the stories and fantasy about soulmates is the expectation that comes with it. Mats had felt a magnetic pull to Neven, had been certain the colors would explode into the world with their first kiss, but they didn't. It hadn't changed the force between them but Mats had changed his views. The thought of some unknown being his soulmate had plagued him, riddled him with doubt that he had been trying to make up for since. Neven had so easily given him up when Benni had been the one. 

He had been furious at Neven and fought the complacency of Benni. Ended up hurting the both of them and re-examining his judgement calls, especially when Benni told him he was losing color.

They made quite the trio. Mats wanting a soulmate so badly, Neven against the very idea of soulmates and dismissing color as a consequence, and Benni only wishing for colors because he already had plenty of soulmates.

"Let's go to the Christmas market." He was determined and wouldn't take no for an answer from either of them. Mats would take the brunt of pushing them together if it got them closer to his goal. He wasn't going to sneak around to different beds every night just because Neven and Benni went at a glacial pace. Neven had started opening up more and joined them for dinner and finally brought over more than a change of clothes to the house. 

Dates were after all the best way to test the waters right?

Benni was making himself at home in the recliner, mindlessly watching a cooking show. He claimed it relaxed him but Mats just got hungry watching them prepare food he couldn't physically eat. 

"I really don't think-" "Okay." Benni paused at Neven's acceptance. So maybe Mats played dirty, using Neven's weakness for the outdoor event to his advantage. The Schalke captain stared back and forth from Mats to Neven until he made up his mind. 

"I haven't seen it yet, with color I mean." The casual shrug fooled nobody and Mats almost laughed at how resigned Benni looked when Neven admitted that tidbit. He got off the comfortable chair and stretched out, shaking off the tiredness in such a Benni way that Mats couldn't hold back the laughter any longer.

"Okay, old man, we're taking my car." Benni cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. 

"What do you mean your car? It's not that far away." Neven ducked into his room to get a coat and gloves. Mats rolled his eyes, smiling obnoxiously. He had plans and he wasn't going to reveal them yet. 

"Just get ready, Benni. We've got gluhwein and lebkuchen waiting for us."

*

"Idiot, why didn't you change your clothes. Stop drinking. It's not gonna make you any warmer." Benni tugged on Mats' lapels to force them closed. It was a handsome coat but Mats hadn't brought anything else and it was starting to snow. His big plan was to take them to a smaller market, passing up the bigger ones to take their time walking around without worrying too much. 

He tugged off his scarf and wound it around Mats' neck and face. 

"Here, I'll survive without it." Mats hugged him, nuzzling him with a cold nose. He grabbed Neven's hand who was purposely lagging behind them like a strange bodyguard. Neven had been quiet, not with anger just very quiet.

"What's wrong?" Neven shook his head, the beanie on his head plain grey and getting darker with the flurries that landed on it. Benni realized the winter setting suited the other man in a different way than Mats. Neven could be cold and distant like the harsh days of snow and blustery wind but he could also be inviting and warm if given the chance. 

"I just don't get it. Before, I could focus more on gift giving and doing some good on Christmas. Now, it's just an assault of the very colors people without soulmates can't distinguish. It's a little sad, realizing how important red and green is for the holiday and how many people can't enjoy it." He had spent a long time hating the difference.

"I think it just adds something to Christmas. I mean you're right but it makes it all the more special to share it with friends and family and _know_." Benni hoped he wouldn't take it as a disagreement for the sake of arguing. Neven stared hard at him, scrutinizing him, before tucking his chin in, in a slight nod. 

"Let's get more food and leave the serious conversation for later." Mats urged them to move on. Benni coughed, sharing a conspiring look with Neven.

"You know, you better slow down on all of those sweets and junk food Mats. You wouldn't want to get yelled at by your coach for losing your breath too easily." Neven visibly loosened up with the familiar ground of teasing Mats. Benni stayed by his side, strides matching as Mats walked backwards ahead of them.

"Yeah Mats, our diet plan doesn't include a second helping of fries." Neven joined in. Mats stuck out his tongue defiantly. 

"Please, you would love me with love handles." The Dortmund players froze for a second, feeling the ghost of what they used to be creep up on them and their recent re-connection with the steps they still had to take. Benni started cracking up, diffusing the situation and their thoughts. 

"Mats you're so vain, you would find an inch of flab and start calling me about Robert being the fairest of them all and usurping your title." Mats stumbled over the slushy ground. 

"One time and one weird dream for you to never forget Hoewedes. Stop bringing it up!" Neven raised an eyebrow at the clear panic in Mats' voice. He definitely had to ask about it now. Benni was still bursting with peals of laughter, slapping his knees comically. 

"What are you talking about?" Neven thought it was almost charming how ridiculous Benedikt looked roaring with laughter at something that probably wouldn't be half as funny when retold. It was a good distraction from the turn his thoughts had taken. He didn't want to spend any more energy on the conundrum of their love lives or lack thereof. Soulmates of three had to be rare for a reason.

"Oh, he never told you did he? Back when Lewandowski was still playing with you guys..." Benni started explaining to Mats' embarrassment and Neven's amusement. They made a final round around the stalls to get some hot chocolate and spent the rest of the night sharing stories, closing a small gap in their respective comfort zones around each other.

*

"Do you ever think about us?" Mats sits next to Neven in the locker room, a pensive look on his face. Neven had been shut out yet again from the lineup. He was frustrated and worried that he wouldn't find a place on a team that didn't seem to need him anymore even as they struggled. His injury woes had gotten him misplaced.

"What do you mean?" Neven sighed. He wasn't up for whatever mind games Mats was trying out with him lately. It was always hedging around the issue and he was tired of it. 

Mats dropped his head onto his shoulder. No one could really say it was out of the ordinary. The team knew they were close, starting together at the beginning of Klopp's reign. Mats had been named captain while Neven couldn't even get off the bench half the time. His hands balled into fists. Dortmund was his home, was his everything. It's how he met Mats and where he grew as a player. He didn't want to leave but he wouldn't have a choice if he couldn't get the minutes.

"Benni, me, you. Are you ever going to let us in. Benni's trying you know? If you want to have a relationship with someone else--" Neven put up a hand to stop him, looking incredulously at Mats. 

"What are you talking about? I don't want anyone else. Do you really think I could find someone off the street when I have two soulmates around?" He kept his tone low so anybody paying attention wouldn't get a chance to hear their conversation. Mats shook his head.

"No, technically you only have one. Benni, because we tried it remember? And maybe I'm forcing the issue but you never believed in some magical connection so I don't know, maybe you want someone else. Cheating isn't less prevalent if you find your soulmate." Mats tried to stand up, to do something with the anxious knot in his throat, every emotion tangled with it. He hadn't wanted to make a scene. It came out wrong and Neven was already wound up and Mats _didn't know_ how to feel about them anymore.

Neven held him by the wrist, urging him to stay. "That's not fair, Mats. You can't expect me to be with Benni without you." 

"Then why are you expecting that from us? Because that's what you're doing. You humor everything we do together and at the end of the day nothing changes. You bow out before it gets anywhere with a sacrificing smile like it's going to help us leave you out of our relationship." Neven pulled back in shock, reeling.

"That's not what I--you found him first. You got your happy ending and you live with him, sleep with him. I'm just there, hanging onto what I know. This isn't familiar. I've never been in a three way relationship and I never expected it to be with you and Benni." Mats scrubbed a hand across his face, glaring at the stragglers as if to make them go faster. Most of them did, the others like Marco were ushering people out quietly.

"I found him first? A lot of good that did me, Neven. I almost lost you and everything I felt for Benni felt like a lie because of that. I didn't get a happy ending. I got a work in progress and do you really think we know any more than you do about how to handle this? I hurt Benni by sneaking around. I'm not going to do the same to you. Benni thinks you still hate him for being your soulmate and I miss you." He deflated after the admission, all he had wanted was a reaction. Neven was so distant sometimes Mats wasn't sure if anything would work to get them closer.

Neven chewed on the words, thought it out before speaking because he couldn't mess this up any more than it already was. He didn't know how many excuses he had been using to justify his actions, to believe something that wasn't actually really happening. 

"You really don't--I don't hate Benni. I was jealous." He runs a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words. "I thought it was pity when you asked me to move in right after telling our parents. I was angry and hurt and _jealous_. I talked myself into thinking you didn't need me around. I was just a part of your lives that you had to deal with because we were soulmates."

Mats held onto him tightly, squeezing as hard as he could to get the point across. "We want you around." He touched his face. "I think we both got the soulmates notion wrong. Everything doesn't magically fall into place when you find that person. It's still a relationship you have to develop. You were always welcome to stay with us, idiot. I just thought you needed more support then, but you stubbornly kept it all in until Lisa broke through that." The answer was a little muffled but Neven felt a snap of tension fall and relief fill him with Mats in his arms. 

"You didn't have to stay in the guest room either." Mats tacked on. Neven didn't want to get ahead of himself. 

"I think we should talk to Benni first."

-

Benni hadn't felt this nervous in ages. Between wondering what to get everybody on his list for Christmas and the last few games to play, he had completely forgotten both of his soulmates had birthdays in December. Mats had been talking about getting a gift for Neven, catching Benni completely off guard.

"Unless you wanted to get a gift for him yourself? I figured I could handle it until you got the hang of Neven being difficult. He used to refuse presents so everybody would just double up for Christmas. I never followed that because it was stupid and I made him celebrate by using my birthday as an excuse. He drives me crazy sometimes." Benni felt the blood leave his face as he registered the words. 

Mats studied him before his eyes widened and he started clapping like a deranged toy. "You forgot! I can't believe it. Mr. I'm on top of everything and have nothing to worry about ever forgot our birthdays. I should go get Neven to rub it in even more. We'll be old and grey and still say, remember that time when we all finally got everything sorted and Benni forgot our birthdays? It'll be a great story. I should tell Manu and Cathy! They'll never let you live it down." Benni shoved him hard, intending for Mats to fall out of bed but he stayed put. 

"Do not tell them. And I don't even know what to get you for Christmas, shit, Neven's birthday is way too close. Why were you born so close to one another?" Mats laughed at Benni's lament. 

"Oh please, you were born on a day that doesn't exist most of the time. Besides it's the best time of year. And relax, there's a foolproof, easy gift that Neven will never say no to." Benni was almost afraid to ask but he had to if Mats had left the bait out in the open like that.

"What?" Mats smiled deviously.

"Dinner and sex." 

Mats had set up the dinner part easily, knowing all of Neven's favorite eateries and picking the thai place that always reminded him of a place in Utah that Neven loved. They had dressed up for the occasion, Benni making Mats take off the suit and stopping him from forcing him into one. It was a small establishment that smelled like spices and the food was amazing. Neven hadn't stopped smiling since they got out of the car. Benni had to wonder if Mats hadn't started the celebrations earlier with something quicker than sex. 

Mats hadn't been shy about how much he had suffered in the celibate months of awkwardness between them and he had taken no sneaking around to a new level with a side of exhibitionism to boot. Benni had walked in on them far more than Neven had with the reverse situation. The wall closest to the kitchen seemed to be their preferred spot. Mats being held up by Neven's strength wasn't a sight to complain about. 

Benni had gotten off a lot more in the showers as a result of those images. They hadn't managed to jump the hurdle of all of them together yet. Benni and Neven easily knew what Mats liked but hadn't ventured into more than teasing with each other. 

So they were back home with Mats already taking lead, taking off Neven's belt, unzipping his pants and licking at his mouth. Benni felt a little self-conscious, not sure what to do but watch like usual. Except there was a plan and they were celebrating a lot more than a birthday. Benni gently pulled Mats off of Neven to have a turn, pushing the now oldest man against the very wall they liked to fuck on. Neven groaned, surging up to battle for dominance. He heard Mats hiss out a 'yes' while his fingers went under his shirt. 

Neven's hands were pulling him closer by the hips, pressing their covered erections together making flashes of color and sensation zip through Benni. Mats was behind him, muttering filth into his ear and just as hard as they were. The guest room was closer and he managed to make a sound, string some words that vaguely made sense and directed them to a bed sooner rather than later. They shed clothes along the way. Neven almost ripping off Mats' shirt.

It was the first time Benni had properly been in the guest room since Neven had taken over it and he couldn't look away from Mats getting on his knees to suck Neven's cock, bobbing on the thick head and sliding down to where he should've choked on it. Neven was lax in his position, hands on the bed, darkened eyes on him, silently challenging him. Benni fisted his cock, smoothly stoking the burning desire in him and giving Neven a bit of a show. His other hand landed in Mats hair, tugging roughly in time with his strokes. 

Mats moaned, eyes closed and neck stretched as Benni kept him from licking more than the pre-come off of Neven. 

"Did you let Neven fuck your face in the locker room, Mats? Or did you wait until the showers to give him a present?" Benni asked low and raspy. 

"Did you swallow like the cumslut you are or did you let him come all over your face. You're so pretty like that. I think with both of our come you would look even prettier, don't you think Neven?" He glanced at the birthday boy who looked ready to spring into action now. 

"No, I think he should get fucked, by both of us." Mats made a sound of approval, to which Benni tugged him off completely from Neven. 

"What did you say Matsi? You want both of our cocks? What if I fuck you and let Neven lick you clean or maybe I should fuck Neven, let you lick my come up, get him all oversensitive, wanting to get hard again." Mats had spit all over his chin. His dick standing flushed and leaking onto his stomach. He looked like he didn't care which outcome it was as long as it happened right now. Benni thought he could make him beg if he drew this out longer. 

"You didn't mention one option, Benni." Neven moved to get behind him and grind against his ass. Mats let out a 'fuck' at the sight. "Me fucking you and letting you come all over Mats and both of us cleaning him up." Benni surrenders as Neven wraps a hand around him.

"Whatever you want, birthday boy."

(Mats very happily receives the same gift for his birthday. They order a bigger bed and talk about knocking down a wall for more space in their bedroom.)

*

Christmas was around the corner and Mats was ecstatic as it was his favorite holiday and he was by far the best gift giver out of everyone he knew. He had a knack for it and he had big surprises in store for his soulmates. The worst part of his amazing gifts were waiting to hand them out, not too early and without hinting at what it was. 

But what he really wanted, was to know what he was getting for Christmas from them.

"You can't just keep using my libido against me. I'm expecting a real gift." Benni just smirked in response. Mats was glad they had a break over the holidays. His birthday had set Neven and Benni off in a contest that was completely enjoyable but also ridiculously tiring. At least he didn't have to go to training the morning after Christmas unlike on his birthday.

"Didn't you send the Kama Sutra to Jerome last year? I don't think that counts as a real gift." Mats made a passable gremlin face and imitated Benni poorly. Insulting his gifts was not in the spirit of Christmas.

"He already has everything he could want for. Trust me, that was not a gag gift. You've never seen Lewy stretch. I wonder if they have a sex tape yet." Neven almost goes back through the door he came in from, bagels in hand and coffee in the other. 

"I don't want to hear about Boateng before I have breakfast or was that a shitty way of hinting to record ourselves next time?" Benni got out a mug for his tea and nutella for Mats' bagel. Manu had updated him on Jerome's situation way before Mats found out, but he wasn't going to spoil his fun.

"It's brunch and you're just jealousss." Mats sang as he snatched a coffee cup. Neven gave him a dirty look. It was well-known he had never gotten along with Jer, but the same went for Benni once upon a time so who know what could happen. He shuddered to think of it.

"Why would he be jealous?" Benni quirked up an eyebrow, letting out a content sigh at the first sip of tea. 

"Because Jer beat him to fucking you? Wait, you guys don't have a video of that do you? Is Jerome a cuddler?" He waggles his eyebrows and Neven grumbles about Bayern under his breath before Mats sits down on his lap to pacify him. 

"Is sex ever not on your mind, Mats?" He tapped a finger against his lips, fake pondering for a bit before answering, "Nope!" cheerfully wiggling. 

They spend Christmas with Benni's family, giving the contractors time to knock down a wall and make readjustments. Mats and Benni had decided on getting a dark room installed in the house for Neven's Christmas present with a new camera as the decoy gift under the tree. Neven had given both of them an IOU on trips to the states. Mats had one more trick up his sleeve they didn't know about. He had convinced Neven's sister to come up early with her mother so Mat's could get her to talk to his mom. He would ask Mrs. Hoewedes to meet with her after with plenty of photographic evidence of their happy Christmas spent together and see how it goes from there. 

It was the last secret Mats would keep from them.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to go more into their relationship and give it a realistic portrayal. I ended the last one on a hopeful note but life doesn't always work out that way.


End file.
